Tokyo: Magical Girl Shatters My Dream of Going Public

Chika lay down in the treatment pod.

The transparent sliding cover closed silently, completely sealing her inside.

The cabin was illuminated by a soft, light blue background light.

Kurokawa sat down at the control panel and began rapidly tapping his fingers.

呲——

The vents on the inner wall of the treatment chamber instantly emitted a pale purple mist of magical energy, which quickly filled the entire space.

Chika took a deep breath, her eyes lighting up: "Huh? It smells like lavender!"

"Keep breathing steadily," Kurokawa's voice came through the built-in speaker. "Let the energy circulate naturally."

Chika composed herself and stopped speaking.

His chest rose and fell rhythmically as he inhaled the faintly fragrant purple mist into his lungs.

The energy saturation value on the screen steadily increases: 30%... 65%... 92%... 100%.

Kurokawa started the scanning program.

A soft, milky-white light wave emanated from the top of the cabin, like slowly flowing mercury, starting from the top of Chika's head and moving inch by inch downwards, scanning every contour of her body.

Kaoru stood behind Kurokawa, her eyes widening slightly as she witnessed this examination method for the first time.

"What's the principle behind this?" she asked softly, her curiosity piqued.

"Special frequency light waves. They can react with the infused magical energy. They can precisely locate injuries and guide repair, as well as provide a comprehensive assessment of the entire skeleton, muscles, nerves, and even energy channels."

Xun nodded as if she understood, then looked back at the screen.

As the light waves moved downwards, a perspective view of Chika's body gradually formed on the screen.

Several abrasions and tears caused by previous training are marked as light red areas on the image, with detailed data on the depth and area of ​​the damage.

"How amazing..." Xun whispered.

The light wave continued to move downwards, sweeping over Chika's waist, abdomen, and pelvis.

As it passes through the knees, ankles, and several specific segments of the lumbar spine—

beep.

beep.

Several yellow markers suddenly appeared on the screen, accompanied by a soft notification sound.

Kurokawa leaned forward slightly and uttered a soft "Hmm?"

He zoomed in on the image.

The areas marked in yellow are hidden wounds left after major injuries have healed.

"Your sister suffered serious injuries to her legs and lumbar spine in the past?"

Xun was startled, her face filled with astonishment.

She never expected that this device could so easily identify even such old, hidden injuries that were so difficult to detect!

"...Yes. A year ago, in the shopping district of Bunkyo Ward...my sister and I were caught up in a disaster caused by a magical vengeful spirit."

Her voice lowered, and her tone was tinged with bitterness.

"My sister... was originally the ace of the track and field team. But because of that injury, she was left with these hidden problems. We sold the family property left by our parents to barely afford the surgery and rehabilitation."

She paused, then said helplessly.

"Although my sister seems to have recovered and can walk normally again, those hidden injuries... the doctor said they can't be completely cured. She can never run at full speed like before."

Kurokawa listened in silence.

He remembered.

During her first interview, Chinatsu did mention that she had "taken a year off from school for some reason."

She also mentioned that she had seen the magical girl "Tensen" fighting in the shopping district a year ago.

Her later running ability impressed him.

Looking back now, it was still a manifestation of being in shackles.

"I see. You two sisters have had a tough time these past two years." Kurokawa looked back at the screen, his tone calm. "This level of old damage isn't difficult to treat. Perfect, let's treat it all at once."

He adjusted the program to lock onto those yellow-marked areas.

Kaoru nodded subconsciously: "Then I'll trouble you... Huh?"

Her words caught in her throat.

Two seconds later, he suddenly realized what Kurokawa had just said.

She suddenly looked up, her eyes wide as she stared at Kurokawa's retreating figure:

"What...what did you just say? Hidden injuries...can be healed too?"

"Of course." Kurokawa had already begun setting up a treatment plan without turning his head. "The company's treatment pods can treat the vast majority of physical injuries, whether new or old, except for those that cannot regenerate severed limbs or bring the dead back to life."

Xun stood there dumbfounded.

Those injuries that several experts have declared "lifelong" and "irreversible"...can they really be cured?

A tremendous surprise instantly filled her heart.

My eyes feel hot for no reason.

"Really...really..." she murmured softly.

"The wounds can be healed." Kurokawa typed the last few commands on the keyboard, "but the time you lost, the opportunities you missed, the changes in your life trajectories... these are things I cannot change."

He pressed the start button.

Inside the treatment chamber, several beams of energy, gleaming with pearly white light, precisely focused on the yellow-marked areas on Qianxia's knees, ankles, and lumbar spine, initiating deep cellular-level repair.

As Kaoru watched the colors of the markers on the screen change from yellow to orange and then slowly fade, she took a deep breath and bowed deeply to Kurokawa.

"Even so... that's enough. Thank you so much, Mr. Kurokawa."

She no longer knew how to express her gratitude.

Kurokawa tilted his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over the bowing Kaoru.

As she bent over, the front of her simple hospital gown drooped naturally, revealing a patch of fair skin and delicate collarbone through the loosely tied neckline.

The fabric was thin and almost translucent under the cold white lights of the examination room.

I've basically seen everything, both what I should and shouldn't have seen.

He didn't keep staring at it; he turned to look at the treatment progress bar on the screen.

"You're welcome. This is part of the company benefits. Also..."

He paused, took off his coat, and handed it to Xun.

"This examination gown is made of thin material and has limited coverage because it needs to minimize scanning interference. Your sister will be gone in a while, so put on my coat first and be careful not to catch a cold."

At first, Kaoru didn't understand why Kurokawa suddenly wanted to lend her his coat.

Following Kurokawa's gaze, she subconsciously looked down at herself—

The collar was loose, and the front was slightly open.

The fabric was slightly disheveled from the hurried movements, revealing the curves of her body.

"—!"

Her face instantly turned bright red, the color spreading all the way to her ears.

She sat up abruptly as if burned, frantically clutching her shirt with both hands.

Were they all seen just now?!

She hurriedly took the clothes, then almost shrank back, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

"Thank you! I'll be careful!"

She kept her head down, daring not to raise it again.

The exposed tips of her ears were so red they looked like they were about to bleed.

Kaoru was still feeling embarrassed, while Chika's physical treatment and examination continued.

On the screen, next to the perspective view of Chika's body, a new row of data columns is gradually being generated.

The title is: [Magic Type Adaptability Rating].

The following are divided into four categories:

[Resentment type]

[Legendary Series]

[Spirit-based]

[Otherworldly]

The numbers were fluctuating rapidly before finally settling.

[Resentment/Grievance: 75%]

Upon hearing the notification sound, Xun briefly snapped out of her shyness.

She hurriedly put on her coat, and when she saw the number, she asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Mr. Kurokawa, what does this 75%... mean?"

"This is an assessment of the compatibility of injecting the corresponding type of vengeful spirit [trait]."

Kurokawa stared at the screen and explained.

"A tolerance below 30% means the organism is not compatible, and forced injection will cause severe rejection or even death. A tolerance between 30% and 50% is worth trying, but the risk of failure and death is still very high, and it must be handled with extreme caution."

Xun's gaze fell on the striking 75%.

"Then, sister, this is 75%..."

"A success rate of over 50% means that the injection is highly successful and the risks are manageable."

Kurokawa continued.

"And your sister's 75%... means she has exceptional talent in this area. Injecting resentment-based traits has an almost 100% success rate. Moreover, due to her high compatibility, the same 'trait' injected into her body will have a stronger effect than on ordinary people."

Xun suddenly realized the precious potential behind the number.

My older sister really has great potential...

Soon, the second result appeared.

[Legendary Series: 85%]

It's even better than the resentment system!

Hold your breath.

The third item.

[Spirit-type: 35%]

This is low, just barely exceeding the "worth trying" threshold.

The last item.

The moment the number appeared, even Kurokawa's body involuntarily leaned forward slightly.

[Otherworldly: 99%]!!

The bright red number almost reached the top of the evaluation column.

Kaoru noticed the fleeting tremor in Kurokawa's eyes.

She asked cautiously, "Excuse me, what happened to 99%...?"

Kurokawa remained silent for two seconds before slowly leaning back in his chair.

"In the records I've seen, the average adaptability of ordinary combatants fluctuates around 30%, with only one of the four categories possibly standing out and reaching around 50%."

He raised his finger and hovered it over the three glaringly high numbers on the screen.

"And your sister, two of them are over 70%, and one is 99%. The highest record I've ever seen is only 91%."

He used the most straightforward data comparison to make Xun instantly understand how abnormal her sister's rating was.

Monster-level talent.

"But it happens to be... from another world."

Kurokawa muttered to himself, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly, as if he felt a deep sense of unease about the outcome.

Kaoru didn't quite understand what "otherworldly system" specifically meant, but judging from Kurokawa's reaction, it seemed to be giving him a bit of a headache?

"Excuse me, what's wrong with the otherworldly system?"

"This is very difficult to explain. Simply put, it's a vengeful spirit from another world. It cannot be contained and is extremely dangerous..."

Kurokawa took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, quickly regaining his usual composure.

He pressed the call button.

"Chika." His voice came through the microphone into the examination pod, "Your adaptation results are in. You have extremely high talent in both the [Resentment] and [Legend] types."

"Now, I'm going to inject you with your first [Trait]. The source is the [Patrol Salaryman] of the Resentment type. The process may be quite uncomfortable, so please bear with it."

"No problem, President!" Chinatsu's voice rang out immediately, filled with eagerness and even a hint of excitement. "I'm ready!"

Kurokawa got up and walked to the enhancement device in the corner of the room.

He entered a series of commands and started it.

hum-

A deep, resonant sound of energy gathering filled the air.

The pale blue energy conduits on the surface of the device suddenly lit up, and the light flowed and converged inwards as if it were alive.

Inside the transparent extraction chamber at the center of the device, wisps of thin, starlight-like substance can be seen being violently extracted and compressed from the connected pipes.

The whole process had an almost industrial, cold feel to it.

Soon, at the bottom of the extraction chamber, a pre-loaded transparent syringe was filled with about 5 milliliters of pale blue liquid that shimmered with tiny starlight.

Inside the liquid, it seemed as if countless tiny specks of light were slowly rotating and settling.

Kurokawa carefully opened the extraction chamber and took out the syringe.

He walked to the treatment pod and inserted the syringe into a dedicated injection port on the side.

"Listen carefully," he said again into the microphone, his voice becoming more serious, "A vengeful spirit can usually only yield three [qualities]. Each one is extremely precious. You must make good use of them."

"Yes!" Chika's answer was short and firm.

Kurokawa confirms the injection on the control panel.

Inside the treatment chamber, a robotic arm silently extends, precisely captures the needle in the injection port, and then moves it to the preset injection point on the side of Chika's neck.

puff.

The needle pierced the skin, and the pale blue, star-like liquid was steadily pushed into the vein.

For the first few seconds, Chika only frowned slightly.

Immediately afterwards—

"Ugh—!!!"

She arched her back abruptly, her eyes widened suddenly, and an uncontrollable cry of pain burst from her throat!

The transparent hatch made a dull thud as her body struck it.

The vital signs data on the screen fluctuated violently!

Heart rate spiked, blood pressure soared!

My blood felt like it was on fire, and I felt excruciating pain deep within my bone marrow, as if it were being forcibly torn apart and then reassembled.

Countless noisy, broken obsessions belonging to "salarymen".

Numbness to overtime work, weariness of commuting, and empty anger at a stagnant life.

It surged into her consciousness like an icy tide, roaring and trying to assimilate her.

Watching her sister struggle frantically inside the treatment pod, Xun's heart clenched instantly, and she covered her mouth tightly with both hands to keep from screaming.

Kurokawa kept a close eye on the various data.

He has faith in the technology the company has developed over the years.

Thirty seconds.

Forty seconds.

Chika's struggles began to lessen.

It's not exhaustion, but rather the body adapting to absorb and suppress those external energies and distracting thoughts at an astonishing speed.

She clenched her teeth, her lips bleeding from being bitten, but the pain in her eyes was gradually replaced by a light of unwavering determination.

The vital signs curve on the screen began to slowly decline from the dangerous peak and tend to stabilize.

One minute later, Chika stopped struggling completely.

She collapsed on the platform, her chest heaving violently, her whole body soaked in sweat, as if she had just been pulled out of the water.

But her eyes were open, her gaze somewhat unfocused, yet unusually bright.

Injection complete.

The energy mist inside the cabin filled the air again, helping her stabilize her condition.

Kurokawa quickly scanned the newly generated body report.

At the very bottom of Chinatsu's personal ability section, a new line of text has appeared:

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

[Passive Trait: Speed ​​Perception (Resentment Type, Rank F)]

【Effect】

1. It can more clearly "see" the trajectory and speed changes of moving objects, and slightly improves the ability to predict high-speed moving units.

2. When equipped with the Resentment-type combat suit, mobility attribute +2.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

A 75% compatibility rate granted Chika additional attributes.

Equipping the Resentment-type combat suit increases mobility by 2 points, which is a significant boost.

"It's a success," Kurokawa said softly, turning off the microphone.

Xun's tense shoulders finally relaxed.

She looked at her sister, who was tired but exuded a sense of rejuvenation in the cabin, and let out a long sigh of relief.

Kurokawa looked at her and said, "Alright, it's your turn now. Whether you have the talent to win my heart or not, we'll see in the next test."

Upon hearing this...

Xun's heart, which had just settled down, was on edge again.

She asked Kurokawa nervously, "Mr. Kurokawa, may I ask what your compatibility rate is?"

All she knows about now is her older sister's talent.

Having another person means she'll have another source of information to refer to.

"Me? I have a 70% compatibility rate across the entire range. Theoretically, I can successfully inject all categories of [traits] with a 100% success rate."

His breathing became sluggish.

The average is 30% for three items and 50% for one item.

This company president is going for 70% of everything!?

It would have been better if she hadn't asked. Now that she's asked, and learned that the mysterious president in front of her is also a genius, the pressure on her has increased once again.

Can my talent really compare to theirs?